


The four moons

by xXFluffyFunXx



Category: Lego Ninjago, Ninjago - Fandom
Genre: AU, Angst, Beast - Freeform, Comedy, Dark, Fantasy, Fluff, Humour, Lilly is mentioned a lot actually, Monsters, Other, Sweet, Sweet and wholesome scenes, Werebears, beasts - Freeform, close calls and tear jerkers but there will be a happy ending, cole is a werebear, cole is scared of hurting his loved ones, cole’s mother is mentioned, dark au, jay is a big dork, kai and Nya are hunters, man kind is mean af, people hate his kind tho, s13 spoilers, werebear, werebear!cole
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:20:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27433435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXFluffyFunXx/pseuds/xXFluffyFunXx
Summary: A dark Ninjago fantasy AU about monsters and stuff.Cole Brookstone is a kind hearted and gentle soul who would never want to hurt anyone. He merely wishes to live a happy and peaceful life without ever having to worry about anything, however being a werebear, a being that turns into a bear like monster at night, doesn’t make it so easy. He needs to keep his true identity a secret to keep himself and others safe. However every 3 months there is a certain cycle the moon goes through, the spring moon, the summer moon, the fall moon and the winter moon. During that time werebears stay in their beastly form for one whole week, be it dusk or dawn. Will Cole be able to hide out from the village he’s grown so fond of long enough? Will he be able to keep himself sane long enough until that time is up?
Comments: 38
Kudos: 16





	1. The life of a beast

It was a chilly night, the cold air was blowing yet the skies were clear, allowing the full moon to shine down upon the earth. There was a large beast wondering the woods, a being that was part bear and part man yet all monster. This creature however didn’t have any intentions to hurt a soul, instead he simply wanted to live his life peacefully. However, being something like this, a werebear does not make it very easy to have that docile lifestyle.

There is a dark and twisted virus, a curse or decease, whatever it really is is unknown. Man have been turning into vicious animal like beings, ones that are associated with the type of creatures that lurk around their homes. Certain wolves, bears, foxes, even snakes may carry this decease. If a man is bitten by an animal that carries this curse, then they are doomed to become one of them.

However this particular bear like monster was never bitten, instead he was born this way. He never knew it but he if he had to guess, it was because his mother was secretly a werebear herself and she passed the curse down onto him. He doesn’t put any blame on her, none at all but he does so wish she could have told him before she had to vanish in the forest. After his first transformation, he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep the secret from his father. For the safety of his last family member and himself, the bear ran away from his home and began a new life in a village surrounded by forests.

It made the perfect place to start his new life, for when he is in his human form he can live inside the village and when the time comes for him to change into his more beastly form, he can easily dash off into the woods without being spotted.

This young man may grow up to 9 feet when he’s in his more powerful form but he is truely just a gentle giant at heart. His name is Cole, a young man with jet black hair that spreads all around him into fur at the dead of night.

As the night went on, the beast went into the river, with one single swipe he grabbed himself a nice fresh fish to bite into. The biggest burden of the curse was the endless hunger and need to eat, when they transform they need enough food to sate their appetite. Unfortunately if they get too hungry they lose control, attacking people and eating their remains. Because of this Cole’s kind gets hunted by man, it doesn’t matter how nice they are or how hard they try to keep sane, even if they never killed a man in their life, humans will slaughter these beasts on the spot without asking a single question.

The hungry bear devoured the fish he had caught, the raw meat tasted extra sweet to him as he could feel the rumbling of his stomach quiet down. It didn’t prove too difficult to control himself, the young werebear came up with more than a few strategies. He keeps extra food in his cabinet, takes plenty of snacks with him when he wonders the forest and even has an emergency stash of food if he ever needs to consume it. While Cole did have plenty of the traditional kinds of food humans would eat, he would still hunt for fish and berries in the wild to stock up. After all he isn’t rich so he can’t just buy a month’s worth of food every day now, and not only that but it wouldn’t be fair on the village since they may run out of food. And of course they would most definitely get suspicious if they see him hoard so much to himself.

The beast caught another fish and then another, he had become very very skilled with his hunting and fishing over the years. Absurd as it would be to any human, Cole just couldn’t resist and had to lick at his claws to taste the sweet blood of the fish. Eating never felt so good before, but poor Cole never was able to enjoy the feeling of a full belly. That is, only on very special occasions he may treat himself and eat more of the baked goods from his stash than usual but at the same time he knew he had to be cautious.

He looked at the skies and saw that the sun was beginning to rise, he began to shrink down in size and the fur on his skin vanished entirely. His paws turned to hands and feet, his teeth shrunk down and became far less sharp. He was back to normal for now.

Cole quickly made his way back to the village, signing as he rubbed his stomach. He got a pretty decent amount of food in his belly to satisfy the monster inside him.

The sun was barely past the horizon, it didn’t look like anyone was awake and wondering the town just yet which made it all the more easy to slip back inside his house and collapse on his bed. He was awake for most of the night this time and it pains him knowing he had to wake up in at least an hour or two so he can work. But hopefully some other night he will be able to gather up enough food so he can eat more and sleep more.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!  
Cole knew all too well that he barely had any time to sleep, however the sound of his clock still annoyed him greatly. He let out a soft groan as he presses a button to make it shut up, he was so tempted to just sleep in but he knew his boss wouldn’t allow it. “Don’t put off til tomorrow what can be done today.” As he would say.

A loud yawn escapes Cole’s mouth, he got out of his bed and stretched, mumbling and complaining to no other than himself. “Ugh...man, does it have to be 7 o clock already? I was in the middle of having an amazing dream about eating a house sized cake!” He groaned even more as he forced himself into the kitchen, which was only a few steps away from his room considering he only lived in a tiny cabin.

He helped himself to a large breakfast, three pieces of toast with five eggs and five strips of bacon. This was a lot for a human but to a werebear this amount was merely like a snack. He is able to fit far more food inside his stomach, and all that energy goes to the beast that awaits him at night. This is why Cole never liked to eat in front of other people, he eats like an animal and well he supposed that he is actually one, but he can’t allow anyone to find out. If anyone finds out his secret he is done for!

It wasn’t too long until his meal was completely gobbled up, every last crumb and every drop of grease. He growled a bear like growl as he licked his lips like a satisfied predator in the wilderness. He was a very messy eater but that is just the common nature of a werebear. After that he quickly washed down his meal with a large mug filled with apple juice, he was able to chug down the entire thing in seconds.

Having skills like these would certainly make a great advantage in any drinking games or eating competitions, but the monster inside him is so hungry that if he were to participate it would be more than obvious that he wasn’t entirely human.

After his breakfast, Cole quickly washed himself up in his bathroom and got himself dressed in a black plaid shirt with some jeans before existing the door.

As Cole walked through the plaza of the village, he could hear a voice that was all too familiar, one that was very VERY annoying to him. “Yeah, and then I cut down the feral beast with one single slash of my sword.” Said the voice, his tone was rather cocky, smug and a large group of girls swooned around him.

“You know you were only able to get a hit cause I shot an arrow in its head right?” Said a girl next to him, she had black hair and wore it up in a messy ponytail.

The burnet’s smug expression instantly broke as he looked over at his sister. “N-Nya, shut up!” He cried out, sounding embarrassed before looking back at his fans. He forced a smile on his face once again as his attention shifted back onto the crowd. “Ah, don’t worry about that. My lil sis here may have shot an arrow at the savage monster but it had nothing to do with helping me slaying that thing.” He said, his cocky grin returned as the crowd of girls let out a dreamy sigh, the one with the black hair who was next to him however simply rolled her eyes.

Cole cringed as he heard this man refer to his kind as such things. His mother was the most gentle soul he has ever meant and it’s not like they chose to be that way in the first place. The man in the plaza was a hunter named Kai, a very famous one at that. His younger sister was also a hunter who was just as strong and popular as her brother, however their popularity works in very different ways for very different reasons.

Cole just tried his best to ignore it as he angrily stormed his way past and headed inside a large bar/inn. There he was greeted by a man with a silver prosthetic arm and leg, a young man with blonde hair and an old man with a very very long beard. “Hey gang! Where’s Jay?” Cole asked as he looked around.

The blonde pointed at the window that looked out into the plaza, there stood a short man with curly ginger hair who was staring through the window. “He’s just over there, you know how he is when that hunter girl is in town.” The blonde said casually.

Jay’s face instantly turned bright red as he closed the curtain to block his view outside. “H-Hey! It’s not like I can help it! She’s just so...beautiful...” Jay said, his face went redder and it was more than clear that he was daydreaming of his major crush as he spoke.

Jay was Cole’s best friend at the bar house, he found him very annoying at first with his loud voice and constant rambling but he came to have found that trait endearing in a weird way. At least he keeps his job entertaining with his weird behaviour. But because of this, he hated the fact that he had the hots for Nya, a hunter who is trained to hunt down and slaughter beings like Cole. These poachers are the reason behind his mother’s death after all...

He had to look away from his friend to avoid scowling at him for liking someone he believed to be so horrible. He went over to the counter and quickly tended to his duties. He was painfully tired, grumpy even but this day should go by reasonably quick right? It is a peaceful and quiet town...most days that is.


	2. A day at work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cole is a grumpy bear, he doesn’t want to work today but I’m sure pretty much everyone can relate. Everyday is usually eventful at the bar house, even the weirdest of things are the new normal there. Usually that is...

It started off as a normal morning at work, Kai and Nya were outside telling stories about their adventures for a little bit before (much to Cole’s misfortune) coming inside for a drink. “Oh great...” he muttered under his breath.

The spiky haired man spoke up, greeting the man who was in secret the very thing he hunted. “Hey, get me the usual.” He said as he sat down at the counter.

Cole only scowled at Kai, his usual was an alcoholic beverage and it was only ten in the morning by now. “Whoa, ain’t it a bit early for that?” Cole asked, trying his hardest to force a smile on his face.

However Kai just shrugged as he pulled out a small rusty purse filled with coin. “Hunting is serious work and it’s tiring as hell. Now get me a shot.” He said, he sounded so disrespectful.

The much larger man behind the counter glanced down at Kai’s offer. He recognised the leather all too well and had to hold in his sudden urge to vomit. “Uh- y-Yeah whatever but if you go throwing up all over town don’t come cryin to me.” He said abruptly as he got a large mug and filled it with Kai’s favourite drink.

The doorbell rang, which earned a quick glance from everyone to see who it was. It was the sister of the two hunters and she proudly marched her way towards the bar. ‘Great, of course the more savage of the two would join her smart ass brother.’ Cole thought to himself as he handed Kai his drink. However he didn’t want to touch the small pouch of dead skin so instead he announced what the fee was. “That’ll be one piece of coin.” He said in a sour tone.

Kai lazily undid the scrappy looking bag and pulled out one single coin, which Cole snatched out of his hand before storming off in another direction.

“Geez, he seems extra moody today. What’s his problem?” Nya asked as she sat by her brother’s side, awaiting to be served next, however it seems like Cole left the room entirely.

Kai simply shrugged as he took a swig from the large mug he held. “Well sis, I think the guy’s just jealous of us.” He said with a smug grin.

Nya just rolled her eyes as she sat there waiting, this was the perfect chance for Jay to strike. He watches nervously from afar, his heart was racing as his eyes took in every last detail of her. ‘Oh my gosh! Where’s Cole? He just disappeared! Wait, this could be it! This could be my big chance!’ Jay thought to himself as he rushed to the counter with shaky legs.

He was greeted with a friendly smile by the woman in front of him. “Hello!” She said sweetly. Jay could hear the voices in his head screaming, the sweat began to run down his body at a fast pace.

“W-What can I g-get you, M-M-Miss Nya?” He asked shyly, his face was burning at this point and Kai didn’t like this strange man’s reaction to his sister too much. He glared at him the entire time.

Nya’s eyes glance down at Kai’s drink for a minute, she scrunched her face up in disgust. “Well, unlike my brother here I like to stay healthy and save those kind of drinks for more special occasions.” She said sheepishly. “Just a vanilla milkshake will do.” She pulled out her purse next, this one however was much much nicer than her brother’s ratty looking one. It was made of light blue silk and had a red floral design just at the bottom of it.

The awkward person serving her nodded his head abruptly and quickly began to make up her drink. Maybe it was a good thing Cole didn’t serve her, it’s easy to pour a glass of alcohol into a cup but to make up a drink? Especially if it contains milk? Cooking was never his strongest suit. “Of course, N-Nya...” He said, smiling a lovesick smile. ‘Oh my gosh, I’m severing Nya! Not only that but I talked to her! Her voice sounds so so much nicer up close!’ He thought to himself, he had to contain his excitement the best he can.

It only took one minute until the drink was done, he handed it to the beautiful woman behind the counter and smiled at her shyly. “That’ll be Uh- t-two pieces of coin please.” He said.

Nya nodded, she undid her coin pouch and handed him the fee, Jay held his hand out ready to take the coin when suddenly, her delicate hand touched his own. ‘AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!’ Jay screamed internally as he made physical contact with the biggest crush in the history of his life.

“Thank you.” She said sweetly, not quite aware about the state Jay was in. However he just nodded his head and went back to work, his face was burning red.

Another hour passed and the town was bustling outside, people were off shopping, browsing and even playing games around the plaza, although this isn’t a very big village it was busier than usual for today.

The bar Cole worked at offered him a decent amount of work, however his main duty was to clean the dishes and tables since cooking didn’t prove too well for him in the past. He was wiping down a table someone had recently sat at, listening to his best friend ramble on about what happened to him earlier. “And then- and then she touched me!” Jay said eagerly, jumping up and down in his spot.

Cole just stayed focused on cleaning down the table however, he wished he could be happy that his friend got so close to someone he loves but he just wishes that it didn’t have to be a hunter, a person that butchers his own kind. “Yeah yeah...” he said grumpily as he wiped the damp cloth over the table.

Jay continued to rave on about his special encounter, the bar had quite a few people at the time as well so there was plenty of banter and liveliness in the air. That is until the bell by the door rang as someone else walked in.

The whole building suddenly fell silent, even Jay stopped talking. The werebear’s attention was originally focused on the table, but as soon as all the sounds around him died he had to stop what he was doing to look up and see what was going on. “Whoa, what’s up? Why’d you stop running your big mouth all of a sudden, I mean it’s a miracle for my ears and the silence is good and all but what the heck?” Cole said as he stared at his friend, confusion was written all over his face as he stared at Jay’s much more worried one. His brown eyes then looked towards the door, there stood a young lady who wore a bright pink hooded cloak over her head and shoulders. It was a rare sight but Cole recognised the cloak. “Hey, isn’t that-“

Suddenly, Cole’s mouth got covered up by Jay’s hand, muffling anything else he had to say in that very moment. “The creepy creepy witch who lives around here? The one that lives on that farm and hardly ever shows her face to anyone in town?” Jay whispers, his voice sounded shaky. “Yeah, that’s her.”


	3. The witch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3!  
> Warning! Light spoilers for season 13 and Cole’s mother.

The whole room was dead silent as the girl walked in. Cole does recognise her despite the fact she hardly shows up in the village. Her entire appearance, sense of style and above all her behaviour just stood out amongst the crowd. People hardly see her but the whole town does know her when they see her. The weirdest girl in town.

This young girl lived on a farm near the village, though that may not be too fishy on its own, the way she dresses and styles her hair is what makes her so unique. Most women around the town all have very very similar haircuts and all wear pretty much the exact same outfit as everyone else. However this girl lets her hair grow out to be wild and wavy, she had some bangs too which was very rare to see on a woman nowadays. Most women wear very casual and plain clothes with very simple colours. This one particular woman however had more of a “cutesy” theme as some would say. She mostly wore the colours light pink, blue and purple and other lovely pastels. Other times if one were to get a front view of her to see her shirt, there may be a print of a rather cutely designed animal or even a lovely floral pattern on the shirts she wears. No one within miles and miles wore anything quite like this, it felt like her fashion sense was one of a kind. It’s especially noticeable in this world that obsesses over everyone and everything being the exact same if not insanely similar.

But her unusual tastes isn’t the only thing that made her appear so weird, the farm girl tends to mutter and mumble words under her breath a lot and she is a stuttering mess when talking to people. Some may even think she may be chanting some sort of spell. Not only that but she has very strange reactions to certain things, she seems fidgety, unable to hold still and she always looks to be in a nervous state. Loud noises startle her to the point of her freezing and quivering in the spot, inhuman screeches could be heard from her if someone were to bump into her.

Some people say that she sees demons and ghosts everywhere she goes, that she is cursed to see the undead which is why she always seems so horrified of everything around her, people believe she acts as though she thinks something is out to kill her. Others say that she is a possessed girl, once she was ordinary but now she lives as a puppet of a stubborn spirit who refuses to leave her body. But the most popular theory that has become the talk of the town is that she is a witch. This girl speaks with animals more so than with humans, a common sign of someone being a witch is to understand the creatures of the forest. Another is how she mumbles things and stutters, people are certain that she is casting spells as she walks amongst the streets and if you hear her speak then you are surely to be met with an unfortunate fate. Then of course there’s her fashion sense and unusual tastes in things, her entire behaviour seems off to everyone as well.

All these rumours however are what made everyone seem so terrified of her, others may act coldly to her and even neglect her if she were to approach them. People rarely see this young farmer though which is all the more reason to be suspicious apparently.

Cole just stared at her along with everyone else, there was a mixture of terror, anger and disgust on everyone’s faces, everyone but Cole who looked at the girl with a blank stare.

Her large blue eyes scanned the area around her, this made everyone immediately look away from her once more, fearing that if they lock eyes with her then she just may curse them. “W-W-Why is s-she here? O-Oh gosh, she’s gonna burn the place down I know it!” Jay stuttered, whisper yelling to his friend next to him that seemed completely calm in this situation, maybe a little annoyed too.

“Jay seriously? This kid isn’t a witch, she’s just weird.” Cole said as he rolled his eyes. However the much larger man just felt an arm grab him and drag him into the kitchen area, where only staff members are allowed to enter. Although Jay has absolutely no muscles to drag the huge figure whatsoever, Cole just simply gave in and followed him anyway, which made it all the more easier for Jay.

The curly haired ginger made sure the door was closed behind him, he looked at Cole with worried eyes. He then soon came to realise the rest of his fellow workers were there too, Lloyd and Zane. “What? Don’t tell me you guys are seriously scared of her too!” Cole said with a groan.

“And you’re not?!” Lloyd snapped, though he had a certain tone to his voice while saying this, he made sure he was quiet enough so their unexpected guest doesn’t hear.

The man before them just groaned again, he shook his head. It was like he was surrounded by children who are too scared to sleep after reading a dark and creepy fairy tale. “That girl has the exact same level of scariness as a rabbit.” Cole said.

He expected that at least Zane would believe that she’s harmless as well but to his shock, his feelings were the same as his two cowardly friends. “Izzy is not someone to joke about, Cole. Though there hasn’t been complete proof that she is a witch, she does show common signs that she isn’t normal.” Zane spoke.

This earned a scowl from the black haired boy. “Seriously? You too?!” He said in complete shock. “Have you guys even spoken to this girl before?!” The three of them remained silent for a moment, each looked down at their feet awkwardly. This made the answer more than clear. “Then how do you guys know if she’s wicked if you haven’t even given her a chance, or better yet, hear HER side of the story? Like why people even think that in the first place?”

Zane and Lloyd both kept their heads down, they appeared sheepish as Jay finally spoke up for the three of them. “Cause why would anyone want to take the chance when everyone out there says that she can turn you into a frog?! I don’t want to be a frog! All they do is hop around and eat flies! Eat flies! What kind of life is that?!” Jay snapped out, breathing heavily as he began to panic more so than ever before.

Cole just rolled his eyes at his workmates. “Hm, yeah right. If she was gonna turn someone into a frog she would’ve done it by now.” Cole then peeped his head out through the door, he could see that this Izzy character was standing in front of the counter, waiting to be served. “Seriously? She’s just another customer! Ugh...whatever while you buncha dweebs hang out in here telling each other ghost stories I’m gonna go serve this poor girl.” And with that, he was out of the door, ignoring his friends who were calling at him to come back.

As he got closer to the counter, he was able to get a closer look at the rumoured witch. She was barely 5 feet and had a pair of rosy cheeks that were sprinkled with freckles. Her eyes looked so innocent, like a tiny helpless animal hiding in the bushes. (This is the girl everyone hates? SERIOUSLY?!) Cole thought to himself. She didn’t look the least bit menacing to him. “Uh, hey sorry bout the wait there, miss! What can I get you?” Cole asked casually as he smiled a truthful smile at the girl, treating her as any other customer...that is, aside from Nya and Kai.

There was a brief pause before Izzy spoke, she looked at the menu and then back at the man who was serving her. “Oh uh- uh- I’ll have the Umm...a strawberry milkshake!” She blurted our suddenly, her eyes kept shifting from the menu to Cole.

Cole just simply nodded his head, he was about to turn around and try making one before getting interrupted. “Coming right up-“

“Oh! No! Actually, make that chocolate! A chocolate milkshake!” Izzy cried out suddenly. Cole instantly stopped in his tracks and stared at Izzy, his intense gaze however only seemed to have made things worse. “Uh- no! Strawberry! No um...actually, chocolate! Yeah! Uh- chocolate! No...ummm...”

Heavy breathing could be heard from the woman in the cloak, it was like she was panicking about something. However, Cole simply smiled at her again as he grabbed a large cup to take away. “Hey, Whoa! Relax there, will ya, Pinkie? Look how about I make a mix of both...like a chocoberry shake!” Cole said with a bright smile, giving her a nickname because of her large pink hood.

Just like that, the girl’s breathing went back to normal. She nodded her head at the kind hearted stranger who served her. “I um- if it’s not too much trouble.” She said shyly.

Cole just smiled and nodded as he began to mix up her slightly off menu order, not his best work of course but it was edible. As he made the milkshake, he glanced over at the seemingly shy girl. This may be a good time to spark a conversation or something, after all she did seem pretty uncomfortable standing in silence and Cole can’t deny that he wants to learn a little bit more about her. “So what brings you in town? I don’t usually get to see your mug round here.” He asked.

The hooded girl flinched a bit at first as the silence between them broke, she began to stumble and stutter her words out. “Oh uh- well I just felt like I was all cooped up back at home so I Uh- y’know- wanted to um- um- get a treat or something. Maybe do some shopping too.” She said, her hands were cuffed nervously together, she lightly squishes and squeezes them together, her fingers intertwining and scratching at each other nervously. “Oh but uh- if you want me to leave I can!” She blurted out, she thought that the question is a sign that she wasn’t welcome, she thought it sounded like he was trying to get rid of her for a moment.

Cole froze for a moment and stared at the girl with large brown eyes, he looked a bit shocked from Izzy’s last little sentence. However this look or disbelief quickly faded as a gentle smile curved across his lips. “Wha? Ah hey, don’t be ridiculous! You’re more than welcome to dine here anytime, ya big goof!”

The girl just looked a little bit hurt from the name she was given, of course Cole meant it in an endearing way but she thought otherwise. “I um- well o-ok.” She said, forcing an awkward smile on her face.

It didn’t take too long until Cole finished up her drink, he leaned across the counter and handed it to her, this is when he noticed their major differences in size, Cole is quite tall for his age while Izzy is very short for her age. Her head barely made it just below his chest. (Geez this kid is short, she’d be like an ant compared to me in my other form...) Cole thought to himself, the size difference and the thought of it made him slightly uncomfortable as it reminded him about how inhuman he truely is. “There you go! That’ll be two pieces of gold.” He said, he held out his hand, waiting for the fee.

The young girl nodded her head abruptly and began to rummage through a bag of hers. This went on for quite a while though as she dug her way through it. “Um- s-s-Sorry, it takes me a while to get it all set up and stuff.” She said with a slight whimper.

Cole only shook his head as he waited patiently. “Hey, don’t sweat it, it’s not like there’s anyone else in line anyway.”

Izzy paused for a moment to give the kind hearted man a smile, she quickly went back to looking around her bag and finally dug out a very cute looking coin pouch. It was lilac purple with some light pink trimmings on its curves, there was a small little cherry blossom design on it as well as some petals. As she opened it up, the inside of the fabric was sky blue and filled with coins.

Cole stared at the girly looking pouch. It was pretty but not the sort of thing a regular woman her age would be carrying. It seemed rather childish to many as well, including Cole who has a very mature mindset even for his young age. This may be where the two are so different, Izzy acts and looks young for her age whilst Cole acts more mature even for his age. However, Cole also does have a bad habit of letting his thoughts slip out. “Sheesh, What is that a kid’s purse?” He commented out loud, completely unaware until he saw the look of hurt on the young lady’s face. He was met with a pair of large sad blue eyes, ones that were heartbreaking to look at. The werebear instantly began to feel flustered as he realised what had happened. “Oh uh- I mean it’s uh- well-“

Izzy only remained silent as she placed the two pieces of gold on the table, she quickly grabbed her drink and rushed out of the building, leaving Cole standing there alone feeling absolutely terrible. “Oh way to go, Cole! Now that you’ve went and offended her she is definitely going to curse us all!” Called out a familiar voice.

Cole turned his head to see his annoying yet also loveable friend, Jay. “Shut up, Motormouth. She’s not gonna do anything to us.” He said with a low growl, he rolled his eyes at the arrogance of his work mate.

Jay however, as usual, simply went on a complete rant about what just happened only 30 seconds ago. “Are you joking?! Cole, we all know that girl isn’t normal! Even you know it! And what happens when someone isn’t normal?! They turn out to be something completely and totally terrifying! Have you heard about the story of Haley the witch?! Or James the killer! They were all different from the rest from the very very beginning and then they-“

Suddenly Cole snapped and interrupted the rambling boy. This came as a grave insult towards him since he was in fact different himself in his own way. “OH YEAH YOU SHOULD TALK! I DON’T SEE ANYONE ELSE AROUND HERE WHO IS LOUD AND ANNOYING AS YOU!” Cole shouted angrily.

Poor Jay just flinched and slammed his mouth shut, the young man was always pretty sensitive. However, as clear as it was that Jay’s feelings were hurt, Cole didn’t care, he couldn’t care. To him, Jay was basically saying that being different automatically makes someone bad and that very thought alone makes Cole’s blood boil. How can anyone have such a selfish mindset? To shut out anyone just for being the tiniest bit different? For expecting the worst from the ones who don’t act like the others?

Feeling more frustrated than ever before, Cole left the inn, he stormed out without saying another word. The entire building fell into an awkward silence.

As soon as the young man was out, he kicked a rock angrily, yelling at himself for screwing up so badly. “Argh!” He shouted as he kicked the rock, it flew off far into the distance and was never seen again. The poor boy let out a sigh. “Man, why does everybody always freak out about someone being different?” He asked himself with a growl. “Does it really matter? Sure the girl looks like a clown but I mean really? All this hate directed towards her just for that...?” 

Cole then leaned against the walls outside the bar house, memories came flooding back to him about his childhood. He remembers being in a school and getting into fights with bullies. He remembers why all that even started to begin with. It was all because those bullies enjoyed to pick on the weaker kids, the kids that were different to them. He remembers his mother’s words before vanishing into the forest. Always stand up to those who are cruel and unjust. Back then he had no idea she was so different from most people herself, he was certain that she may have had a similar experience to the bullied kids at his school, a similar experience to Izzy. She may have even died just because someone in the woods found out her secret, just because she was different.

It’s a cruel world they live in, a world where everyone has to be exactly the same as the other. It doesn’t matter what it comes down to. Even if you had a different hair cut or opinion of something that was a good enough reason to be hated on.

Cole laid still, dwelling on his thoughts. Everything was silent for a little while, the silence was relaxing to him. However that silence soon broke as he could hear some crying and even laughter coming from just 20 feet away.

The sound bothered him greatly, he went to investigate to see what was creating all the commotion that bothered his peace. There, he saw the girl he met earlier, Izzy. She was dripping wet and soaking, the poor thing was shivering like she was cold. His brown eyes then looked at a now empty bucket some other girl held over her head. There was four more young women surrounding her, each one looking furious. “Down with the wicked witch!” Said one girl.

“Yeah! Disgusting freak! Down with you! Drown in holy water!” Shouted another. Izzy just kept on sobbing, she was practically screaming as she fell onto her knees. However all the noise she made seemed to have made the crowd around her all the more spiteful. “Still possessed by some idiotic attention hungry ghost? Always weeping for attention, screeching like a banish for it? Well here’s your attention!” Shouted another girl, she held up another bucket and soaked her with even more holy water. Cole could see there were chunks of ice in the bucket as well, no wonder she was shivering!

Cole didn’t even have to think, he instantly ran towards the crowd of mean girls, each one looking like a clone of the other. They all had the same haircuts, same clothes and same attitude. “HEY! LEAVE HER ALONE!” He shouted angrily.

All of them looked at Cole with shock, he was snarling at this point. “What? You worried if this brat is gonna curse us? Relax, she’s too stupid to preform any REAL spells. The only thing she is capable of is mind control and shifting emotions.” Said one of the village girls, they each looked around the same age as Izzy too.

“Yeah, she grabs poor victims and uses them as a mind salve to fight for her misdeeds! All she ever does is ruin everything! Always crying, complaining, not to mention the noises she makes. She’s a freak and we are simply trying to cure her! Make her better!” Said another girl.

Cole only growled, he crossed his arms angrily, he had to fight the urge not to transform into a feral beast. “Well maybe she’s only crying so much to begin with is cause jerks like you keep picking on her! Did you ever think of that? Besides what kind of a way to help someone is that?! To help someone out by picking on them and trying to change them, if you wanna “cure her” then maybe you should just give freckles here a pat on the back!”

All the girls looked at him with disgust, they then looked back at Izzy, glaring at her with a hateful look. It was a look that clearly said that they would never ever accept her or like her for who she truely is at heart. “Gross, that stupid witch already cast some mind spell on someone to keep us from saving the village from the rotten soul that is her.”

“Come on, lets just go. He’ll snap out of it soon and when he does let’s hope he beats up that already ugly face of hers or something.”

And with that the five girls left with a huff, Cole glared at them the entire time. He knows he should try to be as humane as possible but if he were to lose his mind and eat them he certainly wouldn’t mind. “What a buncha jerks! Honestly, can you BELIEVE that?! Tch!” Cole glanced down at the ground, he saw that the milkshake he made for his customer was knocked to the ground, the thick drink absorbed into the dirt. He then looked up again so slightly, seeing the heart shattering expression of despair written in Izzy’s large blue eyes. He couldn’t help but feel awful seeing her like this, painfully awful. Seeing her make that face...it hurts him. The anger in him began to melt, his entire expression and body language soften completely. “Hey, c’mere, Cupcake, lets get you all dried up.” Cole said softly as he offered his hand. But to his surprise, the young girl didn’t take it. “Hey, c’mon, I’m not gonna hurt you I promise.”

It was then that Izzy slowly reached a shaking hand towards Cole’s. Her hand was freezing from the water that was thrown onto her. She didn’t say a word, she just kept her head down as Cole lifted her back up.

“There we go! Just lil baby steps ok? Now follow me, lets get you back at the inn so we could get you another milkshake or something while you dry off, this time this one is on the house.” Cole said, smiling at her gently, however she wasn’t able to see it as she held her head down. He knew she was still crying but after that experience he can’t blame her for it at all. He gently took both her hands and guided her back inside for warmth and shelter. As he took her inside, he thought about his mother and her words.

“Always stand to those who are cruel and unjust.”

The words echo through his head as he led the girl to safety, he looked back at her. He knew then that he had to protect her at all costs, to keep his promise. To stand up to those who hurt her, to make his mother proud.


	4. Not so wicked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yay! The next chapter is finally up!  
> Sorry it took a while...I’m a bit out of it since Kirby Morrow died.  
> Rest In Peace, Kirby Morrow. We all love you so very much. 💕

Cole lead the strange girl back into the small inn for local adventurers. It was the one he works at, it had plenty of rooms for rent, an amazing bar which tends to specialise in tea ironically. “Don’t worry bout it, we’ll get you dried up in no time at all.” Cole said as he smiled gently at the girl, however her head was still down, light sniffling could be heard the entire time they were walking. Cole can’t help but pity the girl, by the looks of it this was a pretty common thing to happen to her and it is certainly not something someone could get over so easily. “Hey, you just try to ignore those dumb gals back there, they don’t mean shit.” He said, he snarled so slightly as he remembered their faces, their wicked grins were imprinted into his head.

A low mutter came from the bullied victim he held onto, it was barely audible but it was the first thing she said to him in a while. “It’s not that easy to ignore...” her mumbling was so quiet and her voice was still croaky from the sobbing that not even Cole, with his impressive hearing due to being a werebear, could hear the words she said clearly.

They were finally indoors once again, freezing cold water dripped off of Izzy’s drenched cloak. Everyone instantly shot the duo a look of disbelief. Cole knew exactly what was going on through their heads and it annoyed him greatly. How could anyone leave someone to suffer like that? And to just ignore them only because they are weird or different? This was never something Cole could understand, parts of it was because of how he was raised, his mother told him that he needs to protect these types of people, because in the end if no one else stands up for them then the worst will happen. The tall man let out a sigh as he held Izzy’s wet hand, it was freezing to touch. “Don’t mind me gang, just helping out a customer is all.” He said simply as he made his way to one of the bedrooms that was currently not being used.

Jay was still hurt from how Cole snapped at him earlier, but his feelings didn’t keep him in the way of scolding Cole, or warning him to be more accurate. “Whoa whoa! Taking in a dirty customer who didn’t even pay rent?! Wu is gonna kill you!” He cried out, the panic was clear in his voice.

However Cole just glanced back at the ginger and made his simple statement. “Then I’ll just pay for it and clean everything up myself. It’s all on me.” He said, a touch of annoyance could be heard in his voice.

It was then and now that Izzy finally tilted her head upwards again, she looked at Cole with a pair of wide shocked eyes. “W-W-Wha-?! No! I couldn’t possibly- I-I mean- I-I um- are you really s-sure?!” She cried out, she seemed very flustered all of a sudden.

The much taller figure looked down at his new and incredibly short friend. He nodded his head as he began to pat the girl on the head. “Yeah I’m sure! Ya really think I’m just gonna leave you out there in the cold? Heck, if you wanna pay rent do ya even have enough money?” Cole asked.

Izzy thought for a minute. To pay rent costs at least 20 pieces of golden coin, which was quiet a lot and the young girl only had 18 to spare for today. “I um...well no...” she said quietly. She appeared rather sheepish.

Cole tightened his grip around Izzy’s much smaller and more fragile hand. He began to march on ahead, dragging the girl with him. “Yeah I figured as much. But seriously just let me take care of all this ok?” Cole said, his gaze was focused on the road ahead, not even looking at Izzy anymore as he walked towards a closed wooden door, it had the number 3 on it, it was old and rustic but in a rather charming way. The door creaked loudly as Cole opened it, leading the two inside to see a small room. It had two separate beds next to each other, they were both comforting just to look at as they were covered by large thick blankets with beautiful warm coloured patterns on it. There was a pale green rug on the floor, it felt super soft to touch. An old dresser was there as well as some bedside tables, they looked old and chipped and had an antique like look towards them. There was a small bathroom in the corner as well, it was cramped and a bit of a tight squeeze but it had all the essentials, a toilet, sink and little shower. Everything about the room felt so old yet clean and well taken care of.

The floor beneath the two was quickly getting wet, the cold water was still drinking down from Izzy’s clothes and body. The accused witch was still shivering so slightly, but she wasn’t nearly as cold as before after entering this cozy little room. However, all this just adds onto her guilt. “A-Are you really really really sure about cleaning any messes I might make her? I’m very clumsy and make a lot of mistakes after all...” Izzy said with a shiver.

Cole just went towards the bathroom and pulled out a warm and fuzzy towel from a little basket. “Chill, Stress Princess, I got it all covered.” He said as he carried the towel over to her.

Izzy however just furrowed her brow in confusion, she looked at Cole and asked a question that absolutely stunned him. “But why are you doing this all for me? I thought you didn’t like me.”

Cole froze for a moment, his eyes widen with shock. Wasn’t it clear? He didn’t DISLIKE her or anything if he just wants to help. “Geez, and after swooping in and saving your butt what makes you think that?” Cole asked, still holding the towel.

Izzy’s gaze shifted away from the man once again. “Because...you said I was childish...”

Cole thought to himself for a moment, he remembered when he made her that milkshake, he remembered seeing her coin pouch and commenting on how it looked like something a child would own. “Whoa, hey, look if you mean that whole purse thing you carry, that’s just your business right? It’s not mine! Look, the thing ain’t my style but if you like it that’s all that matters right? I’m just sayin it looked kinda corny to me is all.” Cole stated, he did have a habit of rambling on about his thoughts, unfortunately because of this he can often offend people because of it but he truely means well.

Suddenly, another sniffle could be heard, Cole looked down at his new friend once again to be met with the same heartbreaking look she gave him when he first said that.

He began to panic a bit, unsure what to do about this emotional wreck that was standing right in front of him. “I Uh- no! What I meant was- that thing isn’t my style but it suits you! Ok! Look I Uh- I Uh-“ Cole kept on trying to think of what he can say to make the girl feel better, but nothing came to him. He let out a sigh and decided the best thing he could do was apologise. “Aw man...look, I’m sorry ok? I just have different tastes is all and tend to talk to myself way too much, but if I hurt you by saying that I’m sorry...but I don’t dislike you or anything like that at all. You’re just a little bit different from me, that’s all.” Cole said softly, he gently lifts the hood off of Izzy’s head, getting a much better look at her than ever before.

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, she couldn’t help but feel completely and utterly confused. He just said that he is different from her yet he doesn’t hate her for it? Everyone who has ever hated this girl after all was all because she was different from them to begin with. Cole began to unbuckle the small clip around her neck to take the entire wet cloak off next. The girl looked absolutely puzzled, she couldn’t understand why this man was being so nice to her, surely it must be because he wants something if he insists he doesn’t dislike her so much. “Anyway, hate to break it to you but you’re gonna have to go without this hoodie of yours for a bit, this thing is completely soaked!” Cole then looked back at the cold wet girl, he saw that her clothes were all wet too, she was shivering in the spot. “Damn, that water went right through you.” Cole said, he began to think for a moment, the problem here became more than clear.

At first Izzy was lost in thought, trying her hardest to figure out why Cole would be trying his hardest to help, however once he had mentioned that the rest of her clothing was wet she began to panic. “W-W-What?! You mean I’m gonna have to take off E-EVERYTHING?!” She blurted out, she began to breath heavy as her shaking became all the more violent. Rather than feeling flustered by the idea of being naked, she just seemed downright terrified.

All the stress was starting to give Cole a headache at this point. He always thought that Jay was bad but this was something of a legend. He has never witnessed a more anxious being in his entire life! He was starting to run out of ideas to help soothe the frightened girl, he just did his best to ensure her that everything will work out and that she didn’t have any reason to worry. “Hey, hey! Easy there! Look, it’s ok! We can work this out! You’re not gonna have to strip down in front of me or anything ok?!” He cried out. He quickly looked around the room, hoping to see at least something that could help cover up for modesty but to his misfortune, there was nothing. There was only one solution left. “Uh...uh...look, you could just wear this for now, ok?”

The young man suddenly began to unbutton his shirt, slowly he began to reveal his body more and more, he had an impressive set of abs on him, his body was thick and had the perfect balance of chub and muscle on it, he looked huge and strong to begin with, but seeing him without a shirt just made it all the more obvious that he was a strong man. Poor Izzy felt more and more flustered as Cole obliviously stripped himself of his checkered shirt. Her face was burning red as she stares at him. “O-Oh my gooooooosh!” She cried out in a panic. “Dude what the hell?! What’re you doing?!”

“What’s it look like I’m doing? I’m giving you my shirt.” Cole said, he just handed her both the towel and his shirt, he seemed completely unaware about his friend’s current state. “You don’t have to wear it or anything but I don’t see anything else round here to cover you up. It’s pretty much either that or you wait for your clothes to dry while naked.” He stated with a light shrug, acting as if this was a completely normal situation.

A million thoughts began to ring through Izzy’s head. ‘What’s going on here?! Are we dating now or something?! Is he some sleazy pervert? Does he only want me around cause he thinks I can cast spells for him? Is he faking it all to backstab me? Is he trying to flirt with me? Does he actually want to be my friend? Can I really trust him? Why is he giving me his shirt?! Isn’t this something couples do? Why would he ever want to date me?!’

Cole just stared at the girl with a general look of confusion on his face as the possible outcomes fly through Izzy’s head. There was a brief moment of silence between them, a very awkward and uncomfortable silence as the so called witch stood still and stiff the entire time. “Hey, you gonna dry up now, lil weirdo?” He asked, he uses weird as a term of endearment but to the tortured bullying victim, that word is a powerful and heartbreaking slur.

She snapped back into reality in an instant, the name hurting her feelings gravely. “O-Oh...” She said to herself with a low mumble, she knew it would be too good to be true, to make an actual friend. ‘He’s annoyed with me isn’t he? He finds me annoying now! I screwed up everything again, didn’t I?’ She slowly and steadily took ahold of the two items Cole had for her. She felt a strong urge to cry again but she was also a very good actress when she wants to be. “Um- Yeah! Yeah, thanks.” She blurted out as she ran into the bathroom for privacy.

Cole didn’t have enough time to notice the look of despair hiding under the mask she wore. Instead he left the room to give her some privacy. “I’ll just Uh- Let you do your thing.” He said with a sheepish smile.

Izzy was alone in the room, she took off her clothes, it was an excruciatingly hard task as the damp clothes were stuck to her body. It took some time but she managed to slip off her drenched outfit, cursing and swearing here and there as she did. At first she felt confused, then hurt by Cole’s choice in nicknames for her but all that was replaced by pure rage as she tried her hardest to change. She nearly slipped several times which is what she would consider a near death experience.

Finally, she was able to dry herself off, shivering and muttering about how cold she felt. She had the towel wrapped around her and didn’t want to take it off, it was warm, fuzzy and best of all, it was dry. Her teeth chattered for a moment as she hugged herself with the towel wrapped around her. A couple seconds passed before she finally gained the courage to get rid of the one thing that was keeping her warm.

Izzy grabbed onto Cole’s shirt, she stares at it for a moment. “Yeah, this is weird on so many levels.” She said to herself before finally putting it on. The shirt was huge on her, it was more like a short dress as it dangled down to her thighs. The sleeves covered up his hands so slightly, the collar was just barely hugging her shoulders. It was incredibly baggy but that just made it feel all the more comfy. Since it was previously worn by another living body, the shirt felt that little bit warm too which gave Izzy a pleasant sense of relief. “Hah.....that’s better.” She said, wrapping her arms around her body again to embrace the warmth she’s been yearning for.

She slowly made her way out of the room, all while wearing Cole’s shirt. She was still a bit puzzled about why he did all this just for her, especially the fact he gave up his shirt just for her to wear. Wasn’t that a bit much? Izzy can’t deny the fact that she was wearing the shirt belonging to a handsome man around her age made her feel flustered, scared and confused mostly. But then again, it would be foolish to ever think she would have a chance of ever getting loved in such a way, a freak like her. After all if she can’t keep a friend that is human then the thought of ever being able to date someone is out of the question!

As the young girl headed back into the bar area, she noticed the friendly stranger from before, he was holding a large glass filled with a chocolate and strawberry mixed milkshake. “Heya, Izzy.” He said as he held the large glass, he was still shirtless for the time being which made everything painfully awkward for everyone, weirdly enough though he did manage to draw in a few more customers because of the way he’s presented himself. However quite a few of these customers that have been lured in by Cole’s impressive body were elderly and unfaithful already married women...

Izzy gulped a little as she hid by the doorway, not wanting any of the people in the Bar house to see her and stare at her again with those hurtful and highly judgmental looks. As the shy lady stayed hidden, Cole simply headed towards her with the shake in his hand, there was a pink straw in it too. “Don’t worry about paying for this one. This one here is on the house.” He said as he handed the girl the glass.

As she held onto it however, she began to grow suspicious. This is too nice. Izzy never experienced behaviour this nice before, in fact the only times she had people being so friendly towards her were all from some rather nasty “friends” that quickly abandoned her and or backstab her brutally out of pure hatred. She found that any hint of kindness she would rarely receive was never genuine. Not once. ‘He’s being too nice...Wait...could this be poisoned?! What if it IS poison?!’ She thought to herself, the Grimm thoughts grew stronger and stronger the more she stares at the drink.

Cole just stared at Izzy as she clenched onto the drink anxiously. His first thought was that she felt guilty for getting free service. “Hey look, I get what’s happening here, kid.” He started off, even if it’s clear they are around the same age he still seemed so insistent of calling this weird person who dresses and acts like a kid a well...kid, which came as a shock to her. ‘K-Kid?! I’m not THAT short am I?!’ She thought to herself. She was about the same height as an average 14 year old boy.

The generous waiter popped his large hand on the smaller being’s shoulder, he didn’t really realise how scrawny she was until he was able to feel the blades of her shoulder bones. “You feel bad about all the free stuff right? That’s what all this is? Man, I gotta say that’s really surprising actually...most of the townsfolk would be gladly taking my offer without a second thought.” He said, glaring at some of the customers that sat at their tables. Cole had his fair share of bad customers. As he glared at the customers in the background, Izzy could feel shivers run down her spine. Cole was very very tall, buff and kind of scary...especially when he pulls a face like that. She knew that this man could easily destroy her in a physical sense if he wanted, she believed that this man in front of her just might have the strength of an ox when provoked. But the menacing look vanished just as quickly as it arrived, he looked back at the girl and began to smile at her. The smile was small, it shows that he rarely smiles in general. His entire appearance, vibe and everything seemed so serious. “But look, don’t worry your pretty little head over it ok? It’s the least I could do after what happened back there and uh- for offending you over your purse I guess.” 

Izzy looked down at her drink again, what he said is true, most people would certainly take Cole’s kindness for granted. The fact that Izzy was hesitant however is just one of many pieces of proof showing just how different she is from the rest of the town, maybe even the rest of the human race she would imagine. However, the anxiety inside her head still firmly reminded her that it’s extremely possible, if not an actual fact that this man is faking it all to poison her. She felt scared to take a sip without asking but then again, even if it was all an intentional murder case he would have just lied to her wouldn’t he. However while this girl is pretty much cursed to think of all sorts of dark and scary thoughts, she is also clever and able to think up some ways and excuses to help her out...only if there isn’t an overwhelming amount of pressure put on her that is. If there’s too much noise, her brain turns to static.

“Hey, why don’t you take a sip? At least have some. There is honestly no way my tiny tiny tum tum is gonna be able to down ALL this.” Izzy said as she held the seemingly huge glass.

This is when the girl saw a completely different side to Cole, his smile quickly grew bigger. He was hoping she would say that. “Wha-?! Really?! Haha! Whoa! You’re the best!” He said enthusiastically as he took the drink and began to slurp up a fair bit. Izzy was shocked about how excited he was. She knew then that it certainly wasn’t poisoned if he is so happy to drink it...not to mention how much of it he drank. He was already halfway through the glass, this it what changed Izzy’s feelings entirely. Now she desperately wanted that drink!

“H-hey! I didn’t say ALL of it!” She snapped, trying to grab onto the large milkshake. Even though Cole could easily push this tiny thing aside and drink the rest of it, instead he handed it back to her despite how much he wanted to down the entire thing.

Cole belched loudly as he licked the creamy taste left on his lips. He carefully handed his new friend the half drunken beverage. “Mmm! Mm! Sorry bout that, Zane is just the best when it comes to mixing up this sorta stuff.”

Izzy held onto the glass and held it close to her body, almost as if she was trying to protect it in a way like a greedy dragon with its treasure. However as possessive as she seemed all of a sudden, she still had to ask who this Zane character is. “Zane?” Izzy asked curiously as she tilted her head so slightly.

Cole happily told her about his friend and workmate. “He’s part of our lil tea brewing crew! He’s honestly the best cook out of all of us here, I told him to mix up another off menu drink just for the two of us and the guy did it...after a good talk that is.” Cole said, he had a small struggle to get his friend to make the cold beverage since he was not too fond of the idea of giving away free drinks, that and of course going against Wu’s rule that they cannot eat the merchandise, which came as a pain to poor Cole who absolutely loved his food more than anything else.

Izzy tilted her straw to the side, she wasn’t too sure about using it since a stranger did just now. Instead she drank straight from the cup itself, earning an amazing brown and pink moustache in the process. It tasted absolutely amazed! Way more than her last one actually but she was not going to mention that... once she took a big drink, she lowered the glass from her lips again to show her new and unique look. Cole couldn’t help but laugh at the milky foam that rested atop her lip. Of course, poor Izzy freaked out the moment he started laughing at none other than her. “W-w-What?! W-what’s so funny?!” She cried out, sounding desperate for an answer.

Cole just laughed some more as he pointed at the tiny spot just below her nose and above her lips. “You got one heck of a moustache there, Milky!” He said simply as he lightly rubbed his index finger across the spot, this made Izzy flinch but it was over before she knew it. The milky foam rested on Cole’s finger and without even thinking, he placed the whole thing in his mouth, he lightly sucked on it to get the taste of it. “Mmmm!” He hummed happily to the amazing taste. For someone who seemed so edgy a second ago he certainly did transform into a big dork so suddenly.

Izzy was shocked at first from the sudden contact, she wriggled her nose a bit because of the weird and oddly ticklish feeling he left behind. “Hey um...so how long will it take for my clothes to dry?” She asked.

Cole stared down at her for a moment before looking at a large clock that rested on the wall. “If I had to guess maybe two to three hours.” He said.

A small noise could be heard from Cole’s new tiny friend. It sounded something close to a whimper. “So um...what does that mean for me? Do I have to wait around that long? I mean...am I allowed to stay here until then? I-is that really ok? Or am I supposed to leave or- or-“ she began to ramble on nervously, Cole quickly cut her off though.

“Hey, you’re more than welcome to hang out around here until then. Besides I don’t want you to head out there with my shirt, can’t say I trust you well enough to gimme back my stuff.” Cole said in a rather blunt tone. He can’t even trust any of his work mates with this sort of stuff, especially Jay who constantly steals his food.

Izzy nodded her head nervously, she felt a slight bit of panic after hearing his sudden change in tone and expression. Overall she was nervous about staying around for that long. She was scared about making a fool of herself, or getting this weirdly kind man to hate her accidentally just like she did with everyone else in the past. “I Umm, well ok. Sorry if I’m bothering you or anything.” She said with a slight quiver in her voice.

Cole just ruffled her already messy hair. He began to smile again as he found this timid nature of hers to be somewhat endearing. “You’re not bothering me at all, seriously stop worrying so much ok? Just learn to relax and your sparkly unicorn coloured gear will be ready in a cinch!” He said, removing his hand from her head to show off a large mess of wild hair, after getting ruffled around like that it was safe to say that she just might surpass Kai with the crazy hair. Seeing her act this way just made Cole all the more baffled about how everyone in this town could think she is something so terrible. ‘So this is the true nature behind the so called witch? Seriously? She doesn’t seem so wicked too me.’ He thought to himself. However timid, shy and nervous was merely the surface of her personality...


	5. A very unusual personality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After insisting on helping the so called witch, Cole discovers a whole new side to her mysterious personality along with his horrified friends who fear if the rumours about her might be true.

It was an unusual duo, a man who is believed to be normal is secretly part beast and a woman who is believed to be a witch when she is only different from others. Cole instantly felt like he had to protect this bullied victim, to make his mother proud by helping those who are harmed by cruel and unjust people. As a result he had to be at work with no shirt today since she needed it far more than he did at the time but it wasn’t anything Cole could complain about.

It was going to take some time for his friend’s clothes to dry, the poor girl felt absolutely nervous about hanging around for that long but there didn’t seem like there was any other solution. There was so much time to spend until Izzy departs but until that time comes, she was clueless about what to do. She awkwardly sips at her milkshake some more, still not using the pink straw since it had previously been in a stranger’s mouth before. “Well that was a waste of a straw, I figured you’d be right into that colour.” Cole commented without a second thought.

Izzy looked at the straw before smiling nervously at the large man beside her. She didn’t want to offend him or anything but at the same time she wasn’t too fond of the idea of having to use something that had been inside Cole’s mouth. She wanted to think of an excuse of some kind but all her options seemed pretty weak. “Uh...I was just craving it so much that I kinda wanted to get right in there. D-does that make sense?”

Cole stared at the strange girl for a moment, he shrugged his shoulders a little bit. “Yeah, guess so, weirdo. But I did pick that straw out especially for you.” He said bluntly.

Izzy was going through a mixture of feelings, she didn’t like to be called weird yet at the same time he said he had picked something for her especially. Why would he even waste time about thinking what colour straw she would prefer? Izzy was already a flustered wreck but it seems like the more the werebear obliviously spoke, the worse she got. “I Eh- wha-? So you like just saw it and thought of me or um- something?” She asked, sounding absolutely puzzled.

Cole just ruffled the girl’s wild and messy hair, he couldn’t help but smile endearingly at her. “Hate to break it to ya but it’s pretty obvious what kinda stuff you’d be into and what colours you like. Not everyone wears that kinda crazy get up you know.”

Izzy just laughs weakly in response as Cole pats her head. “Yeah...crazy...” she started, she seemed gloomy to begin with but after a couple of strokes on her head her entire mood changed entirely. She suddenly closed her eyes in a state of bliss, a small smile curved across her face. Cole wasn’t sure if he imagined it all but he feels like he could hear her purring somehow. She was like a small rabbit, shy and sensitive, yet craving for affection. 

Cole found himself staring as he stroked Izzy’s head softly, he has never seen her seem so calm before. Even if they only just met each other in a proper fashion, Cole had never seen her react this way whenever he would catch a rare glimpse of her in public. She always seemed so stressed, so scared of everything around her. Yet here and now Cole was witnessing what he would consider the impossible. Complete relaxation. (Whoa, she’s way into that! What is she a house cat now?) Cole thought to himself. (Whatever, at least she starting to lighten up a bit.)

And with that Cole’s petting session came to an end. However, as soon as he stopped, at the very second his hand moved back a couple of inches, he was shot with another look he’s never seen before. It was a very very intense stare, like a desperate pet wanting more attention. Cole instantly felt a bit awkward as he saw this new side of his friend. Her large blue eyes stare at him intently, she had a blank yet forceful look on her face. It was liking she was saying in silence “Why did you stop?”.

Cole felt a little bit weirded out as this quirky young woman stared at him. It was pretty obvious what that look was all about, it was crystal clear what she was trying to say to him without words. “Sorry, lady but I gotta get some work done y’know. Don’t wanna wear my wrists out for rubbing your head all day.” 

As Cole said this, another brand new expression was seen for the first time on the witch’s face. She was pouting. Cole couldn’t deny that she did look adorable when she made that face, it seems like she had a very mixed personality. She may have been quiet during the times she would explore the town, however she seemed very good at expressing her emotions. The pout remained only for a few seconds however, as it seemed like this strange alien like girl tried a different approach. She looked up at Cole next with large blue eyes, they were practically sparkling and shimmering, begging for more pets upon her head. Her lip began to quiver so slightly, it was an effective combo with her sad puppy like eyes.

Cole often appears to be tough, however deep inside he is extremely soft and kind hearted. He had to look away from her in order to decline. “Aww man, don’t give me that look.” He said, it was so hard to resist and give in to the begging. But then to Cole’s luck, he was suddenly reminded of something. As he looked elsewhere to avoid the heavy impact from the large sad eyes he saw Jay sticking his head out the kitchen door, staring at them intently. A small smirk curved across Cole’s lips. This girl was without a doubt innocent and he thought it was time to prove those boneheads wrong by having them meet her themselves. “Anyway, I’ll bet a good way to pass the time would be to meet up with the rest of the gang.” Cole said as he finally looked back at Izzy.

Her ever shifting face once again changed. However this particular expression was one of the more common ones Cole has seen. “Huh? But I Um...u-uh- s-Sure!” Izzy blurted out nervously, she managed to force a smile on her face but it was weak.

Cole could easily tell this shy person beside him was a little scared, although with what he had witnessed earlier he can’t say he blames her for it. “Hey don’t sweat, those guys aren’t too bad once you get to know them. Although Curlylocks can get kinda annoying sometimes.” Cole said, he referred Jay as Curlylocks due to his hair. Poor Izzy nodded her head a tiny bit as her only response. It was clear she was still absolutely horrified of the very idea of socialising. Cole however was patient, understanding too. He gently took her hand in his own and began to lead her to the kitchen. “Trust me, everything will be fine. And if anything goes wrong, I will protect you.”

The two made their way to the kitchen, Jay’s eyes were locked onto them the entire time. His heart began to race as he saw the couple coming closer and closer. With haste, he closed the door and looked to his two other workmates. “T-they’re coming this way!” He cried out as he trembled in the spot.

Lloyd gasped as he instantly looked towards Zane who stared back at him with worry. “W-Wha- What should we do?!” The blond asked desperately.

“I-I don’t know!” Jay cried out, he and Lloyd were both a shaking mess as they thought their very lives as they know it was finished. Although Zane did seem concerned he wasn’t nearly as scared as the other two. 

Just then, Jay could feel a small tap against his back, the door he was standing in front of moved towards him and lightly touched him. The frightened man had to try his absolute hardest to choke back a scream. As he panicked, he could heard the sound of his dear friend’s voice behind him. “Hey, ya mind moving so we can at least squeeze in?” Jay instantly leapt out of the way, his legs still shaking with fear as the large man entered with his special guest. The three of them were frozen in both a state of fear and shock as Cole casually introduced his new friend. “Hey guys, I want ya all to meet Izzy the not so wicked and not so witchy witch.”

The three of them each stared at Izzy in utter silence, they all looked absolutely flabbergasted as they have finally come face to face with this so called witch. Poor Izzy began to panic as all eyes were upon her, she hated to be looked at in such a way. Her stomach began to tie itself into a knot, a sickening feeling laid uncomfortably inside it. Her heart was racing, faster and faster it felt like she was running a marathon. Then of course there was her breathing, she found herself running out of air in this wide open room. All she can do is croak out her greeting as she stood there, stiff as a board. “H-Hi.”

The tallest of the lot, Zane, looked at her carefully. It seemed like he was studying her face, taking in every last detail of her. She has lovely bright blue eyes and plenty of freckles that were sprinkled across her cheeks. She had a small button like nose and beautiful bangs that were swept to the side. Her face was round and soft, a frame that truely captured her innocence. After taking in her seemingly pure appearance, Zane took notice of the way her eyes brows were positioned, then her mouth and he even looked deep into her eyes to try and see the emotion she was feeling. He could see that Izzy wasn’t sinister for the time being at least, she seemed to be in a lot of stress. “She appears to be distressed.” Zane commented bluntly after taking in her image.

Izzy felt a little bit embarrassed after her big secret was busted. She was trying to keep it casual but it seems the more she tries to, the stronger the awkward tension between her and everyone gets. Luckily for her, the man who seemed to have suddenly become like a bodyguard of some sorts for her spoke up in her place. “Yeah, she’s a little on the shy side.” He said with a gentle smile as he glanced back down at her. He wanted to reassure her everything was alright. Cole can understand what she may be going through, he remembers he was quite timid when he first arrived in town. Being different always tends to make you feel weaker, like you’re likely to become a victim. Although that is just one small thing they have in common, the two are actually different in very different ways. Izzy is different because of her personality and unusual mindset, Cole is different in a more physical sense rather than spirituality. 

Cole thought the girl was weird much like everyone else did, however he believes that type of weirdness she possesses is the good kind of weird. But in this world, most people assume all things weird, different or unordinary are bound to be evil, disgusting and horrible no matter what. He felt he needed to keep this girl safe, he knew that she is a super easy victim for each and every last townsfolk to pick on. Cole then looked back towards his more familiar friends. His friendly expression quickly turned into a far more menacing one. He glared at his workmates intensely as he made his very important announcement and maybe even a warning. “So that means we all need to be nice to her.”

Jay and Lloyd both felt shivers up their spines, there was something about that look of his, something absolutely horrific. It felt as if a large angry beast was staring down at them, ready to bite. Jay was especially scared of this look, he has seen this kind of expression from his friend only once before when he had stolen his slice of cake, things didn’t end well for Jay that day. He quickly nodded his head, roughly and heavily to show he understood perfectly. “Y-Yes! Understood, Cole! We will do anything she asks of us! J-just please don’t hurt us! Really! We will do anything to avoid being turned into frogs or tossed out a window into a large puddle of mud! Absolutely anything! Name it and it’s done!” Jay cried out, Lloyd and Zane nodded their heads in agreement but they weren’t nearly as hectic about it as Jay.

Cole rolled his eyes and groaned as his best friend reacted in such a way. “Jay...she’s NOT a witch, they’re all dumb rumours.” He said with a grumble before turning to look at the bearer of his shirt. “Sorry bout Motormouth over here. He’s the kind of guy who believes in any old wives tale.”

Izzy appeared a little bit stunned to begin with, however it wasn’t too long before she replied to her new friend, maybe her only friend as of this rate. “It’s uh...it’s cool, I get that a lot and I mean a LOT. But I won’t hurt you or anything! Promise! As long as you don’t hurt any innocent animals that is, if I see you starving a caged pet or hitting an animal I will tear you to pieces slowly.” Izzy said, turning her attention back to the ginger. Judging by her facial expression and tone of voice she wasn’t joking around either.

Jay nodded his head as the words left Izzy’s mouth. “I-I would never ever do such things! Ever! I mean who does that anyway?! But uh- eating some animals is fine right? I will go full vegan! Just please don’t kill me!” Jay cried out desperately.

Izzy only shook her head a little before tilting her head, much like a confused little critter. “Oh no, eating meat is completely cool with me! I mean that’s just nature right? I don’t give a crap bout anyone else’s diet be it like a vegetarian’s or a straight up carnivore. OH! But if they eat puppies...so help me god!” 

Cole stared down at the accused witch, he could hardly believe what he was hearing, there is so much to her personality then just her timid surface. Izzy had many layers to her personality and it seems like Cole managed to get past a certain barrier to finally see this side of her. “Really? I agree with you there but weird to hear you say puppies first instead of straight cannibalism.” Cole said with a slightly sheepish grin, he never would have dreamed for her to be THIS weird.

Izzy looked up at Cole once again, her whole appearance still seemed so oddly innocent, it was an entire mismatch compared to the way she talks. “Yeah, but eating puppies is way worse than eating humans.” Saying this, a cold shiver went down Jay’s spine as a brand new theory popped into his head. Could this mean she eats humans? Will she actually choose to devour a man rather than a small dog if she had no other choice? All this was big news indeed, Jay wasn’t the type to gossip but his large mouth tends to get the better of him so this new insane idea may soon spread like wildfire. (Whoa, she really IS crazy!) Jay thought to himself, he was shaking in his boots. (I agree about it being god awful to eat little puppies but eating a human would be absolutely terrifying!)

Cole can’t deny that he was a tad bit weirded out by this girl’s behaviour but at the same time he is incredibly fascinated by it. With her great love for animals he couldn’t help but wonder...what would she think if she were to find out the truth about him? Would she be scared or will she feel more comfortable around him than with actual human beings? “You really are passionate about your furry little friends, huh?” Cole stated, he stared at her intensely.

A strong gaze like that would have startled Izzy initially, however with the topic of their conversation being about animals it seemed like she had opened herself entirely. It seems anything to do with something that isn’t human is the key to unlocking Izzy’s true nature. “But of course I am! They’re all precious babies sent to us from the heavens! All they ever have to offer is unconditional love, they never judge you for anything! They never care if you’re different or not! Terms like being cool and trendy mean nothing to them. They’re just open and willing to accept anyone no matter what!” Izzy said with a big happy smile, this had to be the first time anyone in this room had seen her smile like that, however that bright beam of hers soon shrunk down into a gentle little smile as she spoke once more. “If it weren’t for animals...I don’t think I would be standing here right now.”

Everyone around her was already puzzled from the start of her speech, but that last statement of hers was what especially caught everyone off guard. “What do you mean? Did an animal save you from something?” Lloyd asked out of curiosity.

What Izzy had to say was by far the oddest thing of all, the way she said it made it seem like it was a completely natural response. “Well they give me a reason to live, they’re all my friends.” She said bluntly, the smile remained on her face, she looked grateful as she told everyone the importance of her animals companions.

There was a moment of silence in the room, she seemed so innocent yet feral at the same time but above all, it was more than clear that she had a different state of mind entirely. The three men who were formally scared of her nodded their heads in response, a general smile finally appeared on their faces as they felt their fear melting away, all but Jay that is. However Cole knew there was much more to this girl, after what she said he knew she was wearing a mask to hide her loneliness. And in a way, being part monster and having to distant himself from loved ones, he can understand that pain. Though that dreaded feeling may have separate stories and different backgrounds, the point is he is able to sense that she is lonely because she is different like him.

Soon enough, the silence was broken by Zane. “Yes, animals are very wonderful creatures! Ah, but I must be getting back to work I’m afraid. Miss Izzy, if there is anything else you need assistance with please do not hesitate to ask me.” Zane said sincerely before heading to the kitchen island, he began to chop up some vegetables.

The blond turned to her next, it seemed like he was beginning to trust her. “Yeah, same goes for me! My uncle will kill me if he finds out I’ve been slacking off.” Lloyd said as he headed out the door to tend to the customers, leaving Jay alone with his best friend and the thing he feared most.

The ginger could feel sweat run down his body, he hated being left alone in situations such as these ones! Even if the strongest man he knows is there who has the potential to defend him, he knew he wouldn’t as he so insists this so called witch is innocent. “Well Jay, what about you? You gonna get back to work or weasel your way outta it by “assisting” our lil customer here?” Cole asked as he stood by Izzy’s side, he was like a giant compared to her.

Jay could feel a lump in his throat, his eyes quickly darted across the room to avoid eye contact. “Uh- well I gotta head out and pick up some more groceries for the bar in our inn! We are super popular in town after all and get a lot of customers! So it’s only natural we run out of ingredients and products quickly right? Right! Ahaha! Anyway I will see you later!” Jay cried out with a nervous chuckle.

However, Izzy and Cole were both able to detect his unease straight away. A large frown appeared across Izzy’s face, she had to deal with those kinds of seemingly made up excuses to get away from her countless of times. However, she just went with it and waved him goodbye. “Oh uh- ok. See ya la-“ but before she could finish, Jay was already out the door in a flash.


End file.
